Basinwide & Basin States Salinity Control Programs

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The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program (Salinity Control Program) was designed to meet the objectives of the Colorado River Basin (Basin) Water Quality Standards. These standards include a Plan of Implementation to limit further degradation of water quality in the Colorado River that provides water to southern California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. The objective of the Salinity Control Program has been to minimize salt loading in the Colorado River system by seeking cost-effective regional solutions to the problem. The Bureau of Reclamation solicits, ranks, and selects new Salinity Control Projects based on a competitive process open to the public. Cooperative agreements are awarded with selected applicants. Projects have typically involved converting unlined canals and ditches to pipelines located in the Upper Basin States of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming to reduce seepage that picks up salt and carries it into the Colorado River system. Reclamation also utilizes the services of state agencies in the states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, to assist in funding cost-effective activities to reduce salinity in the Colorado River system.

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